DOCSLIB.ORG

Bog Bodies of Norway: in Search of Nordic Noir Alphaeus Talks1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Bog Bodies of Norway: in Search of Nordic Noir Alphaeus Talks1 Issue 51 Bog Bodies of Norway: In search Of Nordic Noir Alphaeus Talks1 1 Dept of Archaeology, University of York, King’s Manor, Exhibition Sq., York, YO1 7EP [email protected] 2 Heritage Technology, 5 Huntington Road, York, YO31 8RA [email protected] Introduction Since their discovery in the 17th century, bog bodies have gripped the imagination with their ability to tell fascinating, mysterious and macabre stories of our past, due to their remarkable preserved states (van der Sanden 1996, 19); their skin dyed dark in the peatlands of Northern Europe where the sphagnum moss produces a substance, called sphagnan, which preserves the bodies of the deceased (Asing and Lynnerup 2007, 278). By studying these bodies, archaeologists are provided with insights into people’s lives, including how they died, their appearance, illnesses, environment and diet. Bog bodies have been discovered in many places across Northern Europe, but whether there are any “bog bodies proper” in Norway is a controversial topic. This is largely due to the limited data available from excavation (Nordeide and Thun 2013, 200), as well as lost archived bodies (van der Sanden 1996, 20). Norway’s bog bodies are therefore a mystery which needs further investigation. The Bog Bodies of Norway Figure 1: Map of bog bodies discovered in Norway. 18 Issue 51 Arguably around fourteen bog bodies have been discovered in Norway, as shown in Figure 1. However, there is a debate about this number, with Turner-Walker and Peacock proposing fifteen (2008, 151), Brothwell and Gill-Robinson only two (2001, 121) and Dieck suggesting ten (Aufdeheide 2010, 176). The bodies have been excavated from eight different sites, of which two are only evidenced in oral tradition (Nordeide 2017). They represent both sexes, a variety of ages and date from 500BC to 550AD (Henriksen and Sylvester 2007). However, arguably none of the bodies so far discovered are “bog bodies proper” (van der Sanden 1996, 85) with the exception of those found in Guddal (Nordeide 2013, 1-6). “Proper” bog bodies are bodies which are preserved with soft tissues, such as skin. The best known examples include Tollund Man and Grauballe Man from Denmark (see Figure 2), where these bodies have been deliberately deposited in a bog context (Asingh and Lynnerup 2007). Some of the arguments over numbers arise as we cannot correspond today’s map with the past environment (Mitsch and Gosselink 2015, 344-345). Five women were buried in Central Norway in three different sites, but these are only recorded in oral tradition. Out of these five, four were supposedly deposited in swampy water between 30-550AD and Figure 2: Graubelle Man, pictured when first discovered (Tollundman 2004), the fifth is dated to the Viking Age and buried when the ground was firm, indicative of an ordinary burial. A further two were found in Leinesmyra, north of Trondheim (van der Sanden 1996, 85), just 30cm apart, although they date to two different times (Henriksen and Sylvester 2007, 345-6). Bog bodies are often associated with mystery and murder, as well as ritual, according to P. V. Glob’s book, The Bog People (1965). Furthermore, at Bø in Rogaland, bog body remains of four children (see Figure 3), have been linked to infanticide, and a contemporary report by Tacitus in 98AD stated that Figure 3: The remains of 4 children from Rogaland (Lillehammer 2001, 49). the punishment for infanticide was “drowning in a morass” (Lillehammer 2001, 49;53). At Skjoldehamn, it is suggested that a body, deposited in a bog, was 19 Issue 51 “buried for his evil deeds” (Løvlid 2010), although the fact that the deceased was placed on top of a reindeer hide and covered in birch bark (Nordeide 2013, 4) perhaps indicates that it was just a pre-Christian burial. Well preserved bodies seem to generate their own mythology. Out of all the so-called bog bodies in Norway, the “Bleivik funnet” in the most well-known. Although the skeleton was incomplete, it nonetheless inspired songs about the body (iamsirious 2014). Bog bodies are also mentioned in Norse sagas (van der Sanden 1996, 71). However, despite the reservations about bog body discoveries in Norway, the site of Guddal in Western Norway (see Figure 4), contains a burial Figure 4: Clothing ground which may fit a “bog bodies proper” definition (Nordeide and materials excavated from Thun 2013, 190). This site is yet to have an extensive archaeological the site of Guddal (Nordeide and Thun survey, but excavations in 1903 revealed a young woman with long 2013, 187). red hair and van der Sanden stated that “every detail of the person could be observed” (Nordeide 2013, 1-6). Why are Norway’s bog bodies so elusive? Norway has more peatland than Germany and Denmark, the countries with the most bog body discoveries; the second highest percentage of wetlands; and the third most hectares, as shown by Figure 5 (European Environmental Agency 2017). So why are there so few well-preserved bog bodies? Figure 5: The different percentage of Figure 6: The average temperature land cover in Norway, Germany, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Denmark, Sweden and the UK the UK (The World Bank Group, 2017). (European Environment Agency, 2012). 20 Issue 51 The reasons can be summarised as topography, climate, pH and human factors (Fletcher, A. 2017). Topography affects the number of bog bodies, as human tissue is best preserved in low moors (Aufderheide 2010, 173). On a slope, water does not stay stagnant for enough time to create these bogs (Brothwell and Gill-Robinson 2001, 122), and bogs spread further on flat land than in steeply sided basins (Chapman 2016, 111-2). The topography in Norway is generally more mountainous than the rest of Northern Europe, as shown by Figure 7. Figure 7: Map showing the topography of Northern Europe (Topographicmap.com, n.d.). Climatic conditions also affect bog formation, through temperature, wind and precipitation (Lindsay et al, 1988, 29). Bog body preservation requires temperatures between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius (Jeremiah 2014, 58). As shown in Figure 6, Norway has the coldest temperatures, with an average of 1.02 degrees Celsius throughout the year, which would preserve bog bodies. November is the only month with ideal temperatures, Figure 8: Map showing the different soil pH levels in Northern Europe (European Soil with other months being too warm for good Data Centre 2010). preservation, or too cold to allow bodies to be placed in bogs. Soil bacteria and insects are not good for body preservation and thrive best at neutral pH values, therefore either high or low pH will aid the preservation of bog bodies (Schotsmans et al. 2017, 124). Aufderheide states that the pH in most bogs yielding mummified remains is around 5.5 to 6.5, very slightly acidic (2010, 174). According to a publication produced by The British Museum, the high pH of a site helps with the preservation of soft tissues but is destructive to the calcium in bones, leaving leathered human soft tissue, with little preservation of bones insides (Wills et al. 21 Issue 51 2015, 56). In the case of Norway, the land has pH values between Denmark and Germany, as shown in Figure 8, so this is not a reason for few bog bodies being found in Norway. Human Factors There are several human factors that will also affect the amount and preservation of bog bodies, such as laws, population, ritual, and modern-day human activities, referred to as anthropogenic activities. Norway is one of the few countries to introduce laws to restrict peat extraction (World Energy Council 2016), since 1949. With fewer hectares of peat being extracted it is possible that there are bog bodies present in the Norwegian peatland, as yet undiscovered. (Fletcher, A. 2017). It could be that population numbers could affect the number of bog bodies in Norway. In general, most bog bodies are buried around 0 AD in Northern Europe, a time of change towards a more socially organised society (Coles et al. 1999, 7). Norwegian bog bodies have been dated from 500 BC – 500 AD, roughly corresponding to the Iron Age. This may be linked to migrations of Germanic tribes (Stenersen and Libæk 2007, 15-17). As a result of the problems associated with the dating of finds and population records, it is reasonable to speculate that the population may have been small during this period and, as a result, there was less need to bury the dead in liminal places (Nordeide and Thun 2013, 191). As mentioned earlier, bog bodies are often associated with ritualistic activities. Bodies have been found with multiple injuries. Many of the bodies found in Northern Europe have evidence of strangulation as well as cut marks (Fletcher, J. 2017). There is also evidence to suggest that the victims ate a ceremonial meal before being killed. Green in her book states that this “murder most horrid” was even an act of divine intervention (2001, 16). Seeing as there are few bodies in Norway, it would therefore be suggestive that Norway had a different belief system. Nordeide and Thun associate the discovery of the site in Guddal with divine intervention, since Canon law stated that all people must be buried within a fenced courtyard. The boggy nature of the land used as a church yard at Guddal led to the preservation of the deceased as bog bodies (2013, 3). Anthropogenic activity is also a great influencer, as van der Sanden writes: “Bog bodies are wonderful finds, but unfortunately they were discovered far too early” (Nordeide 2013, 7). A possible reason for the uncertainty surrounding the number of bog bodies discovered in Norway is due to there being oral or written notes about bodies that were reburied, desiccated, destroyed or lost (Cowie et al.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Irish Identity in Seamus Heaney Selected Poems
    Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8435 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.13, 2015 Irish Identity in Seamus Heaney Selected Poems Hawnaz Ado Dept. of English Language and Literature,Istanbul Aydin University, Besyol Mah. ,Inönü Cad. No. 38,Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, Istanbul TURKEY Abstract This paper aims the thematic analysis of Irish identity in the noble winner's poems, Seamus Heaney. Through the history of Ireland and its people how they suffered under the British Imperialism beside the sectarian conflicts that held in Ireland. Heaney's Bog poems search about the origins of Irish identity, through his first four collection, Death of the Naturalist, Door into the Dark, Wintering Out, and North. The selected poems of these four collections are like a chain for the bog poems of Heaney which is about bog people as Heaney used them as a symbol to Irish identity. Keywords: Identity, Irish identity , Bog poems , British Imperialism 1. Introduction The matter of Irish political conflict raised from the early nineteenth century till 1922, this is for the Republican of Ireland while in the Northern Ireland the conflict continued between the two communities Catholic and Protestant. As the idea that cultural'' identity is at the heart of the Northern Ireland crisis’’ (Lundy and Mac Polin 1992: 5) became a part of traditional wisdom. Going through discussing the history of Ireland especially Northern Ireland and the issue of its identity limiting to specific by taking from the land of conflict and troubles Seamus Haney as the spokesman of identity in Northern Ireland.
    [Show full text]
  • The Danish Bog Bodies and Modern Memory," Spectrum: Vol
    Recommended Citation Price, Jillian (2012) "Accessing the Past as Landscape: The Danish Bog Bodies and Modern Memory," Spectrum: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholars.unh.edu/spectrum/vol2/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals and Publications at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Spectrum by an authorized editor of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Spectrum Volume 2 Issue 1 Fall 2012 Article 2 9-1-2012 Accessing the Past as Landscape: The Danish Bog Bodies and Modern Memory Jillian Price University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/spectrum Price: Accessing the Past as Landscape: The Danish Bog Bodies and Modern Accessing the Past as Landscape: The Danish Bog Bodies and Modern Memory By Jillian Price The idea of “place-making” in anthropology has been extensively applied to culturally created landscapes. Landscape archaeologists view establishing ritual spaces, building monuments, establishing ritual spaces, organizing settlements and cities, and navigating geographic space as activities that create meaningful cultural landscapes. A landscape, after all, is “an entity that exists by virtue of its being perceived, experienced, and contextualized by people” (Knapp and Ashmore 1999: 1). A place - physical or imaginary - must be seen or imagined before becoming culturally relevant. It must then be explained, and transformed (physically or ideologically). Once these requirements are fulfilled, a place becomes a locus of cultural significance; ideals, morals, traditions, and identity, are all embodied in the space.
    [Show full text]
  • Strontium Isotope Investigations of the Haraldskær Woman
    ArcheoSciences Revue d'archéométrie 39 | 2015 Varia Strontium isotope investigations of the Haraldskær Woman – a complex record of various tissues Analyse des isotopes du strontium de la Femme de Haraldskær – un dossier complexe de tissus divers Karin Margarita Frei, Ulla Mannering, T. Douglas Price and Rasmus Birch Iversen Electronic version URL: https://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/4407 DOI: 10.4000/archeosciences.4407 ISBN: 978-2-7535-4778-0 ISSN: 2104-3728 Publisher Presses universitaires de Rennes Printed version Date of publication: 31 December 2015 Number of pages: 93-101 ISBN: 978-2-7535-4776-6 ISSN: 1960-1360 Electronic reference Karin Margarita Frei, Ulla Mannering, T. Douglas Price and Rasmus Birch Iversen, “Strontium isotope investigations of the Haraldskær Woman – a complex record of various tissues”, ArcheoSciences [Online], 39 | 2015, Online since 31 December 2017, connection on 21 September 2021. URL: http:// journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/4407 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/archeosciences.4407 Article L.111-1 du Code de la propriété intellectuelle. Strontium Isotope Investigations of the Haraldskær Woman – A Complex Record of Various Tissues Analyses des isotopes du strontium de la Femme de Haraldskær – un dossier complexe de tissus divers Karin Margarita Freia, Ulla Manneringb, T. Douglas Pricec and Rasmus Birch Iversend Résumé : Bog bodies form a unique group of archaeological human remains which offer unparalleled insight into the past. Unlike most ancient human remains, bog bodies have preserved their skin and other soft tissues through natural tanning processes in the bogs. We present the first comprehensive strontium isotope investigation of the Haraldskær Woman and her garments, dated to the Scandinavian Pre-Roman Iron Age (500-1 BC).
    [Show full text]
  • The Huldremose Find. an Early Iron Age Woman with an Exceptional Costume
    FASCICULI ARCHAEOLOGIAE HISTORICAE FASC. XXIII, PL ISSN 0860-0007 ULLA MANNERING THE HULDREMOSE FIND. AN EARLY IRON AGE WOMAN WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL COSTUME Introduction medical doctor and a pharmacist arrived to inspect the Over the last two centuries bog bodies found in North- body. The first action was to remove it from the bog and ern European bogs have horrified, mystified, thrilled and bring it to a nearby farm. Here the body was undressed and fascinated people. Many books have been dedicated to examined, and it was soon discovered that it was in fact the descriptions and interpretations of such Late Bronze and body of a woman. Since it also became clear that she was Early Iron Age phenomena1. The flourishing and inde- ancient, the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen pendent literary and artistic afterlife of the bog peoples was informed4. has also been revealed in a recent book2. Who would have The body had lain on its back in the bog with its legs thought that a woman who lived and died more than 2100 drawn up; a willow stick had been placed across it. It was years ago could surprise and fascinate modern people? fully dressed and the upper part of the body was covered by An important chapter has been added to the story of the a large skin cape. Although the skin cape had been kept in Huldremose Woman; new analyses of the body and the cos- place around the body by a narrow leather strap, the right tume3 have revealed unforeseen information that not only hand had not been covered by the garment, and when found tells about textile technology, but also about prehistoric it was separated from the body.
    [Show full text]
  • Bog Poems As the Praxis of Seamus Heaney's Poetics
    European Journal of English Language and Literature Studies Vol.7, No.4, pp.16-26, July 2019 Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org) BOG POEMS AS THE PRAXIS OF SEAMUS HEANEY’S POETICS Kazi Shahidul Islam Department of English, Bangladesh Army International University of Science & Technology (BAIUST), Cumilla ABSTRACT: Any full-length critical work on Seamus Heaney’s poetry indispensably or pertinently touches on his bog poems incorporated in Heaney’s first four poetry collections. Composed mostly in quatrains, these poems actually represent the essential Heaney and subsequently suffice to fathom his distinctive poetics in the Irish-English literary tradition. The first of these poems constitute Heaney’s archaeological discourse on the metaphorical grandeur of Ireland for its temporal and spatial features of bog while the later ones which raised Heaney to a greater prominence define his aesthetic and political stance during the Irish Troubles. In fact, Heaney’s bog poems have become windows into his oeuvre including his prose works too. This paper claims that the bog poems alone constitute Heaney’s distinctive poetics per se and make him perpetually relevant in literary studies. The corollary of this paper comes to the point that understanding the essential Heaney is grounded in the bog poems. KEYWORDS: Bogs, Seamus Heaney, Poetics, Discourse, the Troubles INTRODUCTION: In 2016, the Irish writer and television programme maker Magan proudly claimed the Irish bogs to have been “catalysts for poets, painters, playwrights, dancers, novelists and film-makers since at least the 19th century.” Magan made references to the renowned artists Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) and Barrie Cooke (1931-2014) whose paintings fed on bog images at a time when Heaney was “equally bog-enchanted”.
    [Show full text]
  • European Journal of Archaeology Manuscript Received 18 February 2019, Revised 28 May 2019, Accepted
    Bog bodies in context: developing a best practice approach Item Type Article Authors Chapman, H.; Van Beek, R.; Gearey, B.; Jennings, Benjamin R.; Smith, D.; Nielsen, N.H.; Elabdin, Z.Z. Citation Chapman H, Van Beek R, Gearey B et al (2020) Bog bodies in context: developing a best practice approach. European Journal of Archaeology. 23(2): 227-249. Rights © 2019 CUP. This article has been published in a revised form in European Journal of Archaeology - https://doi.org/10.1017/ eaa.2019.54. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. Download date 28/09/2021 00:43:57 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10454/17199 European Journal of Archaeology Manuscript received 18 February 2019, revised 28 May 2019, accepted Bog Bodies in Context: Developing a Best Practice Approach HENRY CHAPMAN1, ROY VAN BEEK2, BEN GEAREY3, BEN JENNINGS4, DAVID SMITH1, NINA HELT NIELSEN5 AND ZENA ZEIN ELABDIN1 1 Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Birmingham, UK 2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, The Netherlands 3 Department of Archaeology, University College Cork, Ireland 4 School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, Univeristy of Bradford, UK 5 Museum Silkeborg, Denmark Bog bodies are among the best-known archaeological finds worldwide. Much of the work on these often extremely well-preserved human remains has focused on forensics, whereas the environmental setting of the finds has been largely overlooked. This applies to both the ‘physical’ and ‘cultural’ landscape and constitutes a significant problem since the vast spatial and temporal scales over which the practice appeared demonstrate that contextual assessments are of the utmost importance for our explanatory frameworks.
    [Show full text]
  • An Exploration Into the Biocultural Importance of Bog Bodies Reilly Boone Western Kentucky University, [email protected]
    Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Honors College at WKU Projects Spring 2019 Natural Mummies of Northern Europe: An Exploration into the Biocultural Importance of Bog Bodies Reilly Boone Western Kentucky University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Boone, Reilly, "Natural Mummies of Northern Europe: An Exploration into the Biocultural Importance of Bog Bodies" (2019). Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 800. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/800 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College Capstone Experience/ Thesis Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NATURAL MUMMIES OF NORTHERN EUROPE: AN EXPLORATION INTO THE BIOCULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF BOG BODIES A Capstone Project presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Science with Honors College Graduate Distinction at Western Kentucky University By Reilly S. Boone May 2019 ***** CE/T Committee: Doctor Darlene Applegate, Chair Doctor Jean-Luc Houle Doctor Christopher Keller Copyright by Reilly S. Boone 2019 ii This thesis is dedicated to Mrs. Perryman: thank you for giving a name to my interest in other ways of life. Without you I would have struggled to find a way to balance the cultural and biological fields I adore. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the professors in the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology, especially Dr. Darlene Applegate and Dr. Jean-Luc Houle, for their encouragement throughout my time at WKU and for providing me with opportunities to experience the field of anthropology to the fullest extent.
    [Show full text]
  • The Two Voices of Seamus Heaney's North
    The Two Voices of Seamus Heaney's North DAVID LLOYD EAMUS Heaney's North is a collection of poems which examine the poet's native Ulster from both an historical Sand a contemporary viewpoint. The book is divided into two sections. Part I examines Ulster in terms of historical and geographical connections to the Vikings and to the "bog-people" — those individuals sacrificially buried in Danish bogs. Part II contains an eloquent series of "personal" poems which yield the poet's more direct reactions to the violence and hopelessness which have engulfed his land. These last poems proceed without the "bog" metaphor and accompanying symbolism. Upon first reading North, one is immediately struck by the differences in technique, tone, approach and even subject matter which make Parts I and II of North appear to be two separate collections placed capriciously in a single volume. But despite the obvious differences between the two sections, there is a unifying thread in Heaney's book (besides the fact that both sections deal with Northern Ireland). In both sections, the poet's attempt to understand the violence, division, and occupation of his country and his own reactions to these things are clearly central concerns. In Part I the articulation of his feelings is accomplished primarily through an examination of "connections" between Northern Ireland and the boglands of Northern Europe, but in Part II a more direct statement is employed. The resulting differences of "voice" obscure the underlying unity, but essentially both parts attempt to deal with and reveal the poet's personal reactions to "the problem of Ulster." The same concern — how a writer, born and bred in Ulster and lately self-exiled to the South, must react to the complex and seemingly endless violence and inbred hostilities of Ulster — is explored in two widely differing styles.
    [Show full text]
  • {PDF EPUB} the Bog People Iron-Age Man Preserved by Peter Vilhelm Glob Peter Vilhelm Glob
    Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Bog People Iron-Age Man Preserved by Peter Vilhelm Glob Peter Vilhelm Glob. Peter Vilhelm Glob (* 20. Februar 1911 in Kalundborg; † 20. Juli 1985 auf Djursland) war ein dänischer Prähistorischer Archäologe, Museumsleiter und Reichsantiquar ( dänisch Rigsantikvar ). Inhaltsverzeichnis. Leben. P. V. Glob war der Sohn des Malers Johannes Ejner Glob (1882–1955). Er studierte prähistorische Archäologie bei Johannes Brøndsted an der Universität Kopenhagen und wurde 1934 Assistent sowie 1937 Inspektor am Dänischen Nationalmuseum. 1945 wurde er mit einer Dissertation über die Einzelgrabkultur promoviert. Von 1949 bis 1960 lehrte er als Professor an der Universität Aarhus. Gleichzeitig leitete er das Vorgeschichtliche Museum (heute Museum Moesgård). 1951 gründete er die Jütländische Archäologische Gesellschaft ( Jysk arkæologisk selskab ), deren Generalsekretär er bis 1962 war, bevor er ihr Präsident wurde. 1960 wurde er Nachfolger Brøndsteds als Direktor des Nationalmuseums in Kopenhagen und als Rigsantikvar. 1981 trat er in den Ruhestand. Als Student nahm Glob 1932/33 an der unter Leitung Lauge Kochs (1892–1964) stehenden Dänischen Drei-Jahres-Expedition 1931–1934 teil. Seine erste Publikation galt den Resultaten seiner Ausgrabungen von Eskimo-Siedlungen in Ostgrönland. Über Dänemark hinaus bekannt wurde Glob besonders durch seine Arbeiten zu Barkjær, einer der Anlagen vom Typ Konens Høj, zur Typologie der Streitäxte der Einzelgrabkultur 1944 und 1965 zu den Moorleichen. Mit seinem Buch Mosefolket über dänische Moorleichenfunde gab er der europäischen Moorleichenforschung neue Impulse. 1969 veröffentlichte er als Ergebnis seiner 30 Jahre währenden Studien einen vollständigen Überblick über die dänischen Felsbilder. Daneben forschte er 1953 in Bahrain, 1957 in Katar, 1958 in Kuwait, Abu Dhabi und Oman sowie ab 1964 in Saudi-Arabien.
    [Show full text]
  • Regarding the Dead: Human Remains in the British Museum Edited by Alexandra Fletcher, Daniel Antoine and JD Hill Published with the Generous Support Of
    Regarding the Dead: Human Remains in the British Museum Edited by Alexandra Fletcher, Daniel Antoine and JD Hill Published with the generous support of THE FLOW FOUNDATION Publishers The British Museum Great Russell Street London wc1b 3dg Series editor Sarah Faulks Distributors The British Museum Press 38 Russell Square London wc1b 3qq Regarding the Dead: Human Remains in the British Museum Edited by Alexandra Fletcher, Daniel Antoine and JD Hill isbn 978 086159 197 8 issn 1747 3640 © The Trustees of the British Museum 2014 Front cover: Detail of a mummy of a Greek youth named Artemidorus in a cartonnage body-case, 2nd century ad. British Museum, London (EA 21810) Printed and bound in the UK by 4edge Ltd, Hockley Papers used in this book by The British Museum Press are of FSC Mixed Credit, elemental chlorine free (ECF) fibre sourced from well-managed forests All British Museum images illustrated in this book are © The Trustees of the British Museum Further information about the Museum and its collection can be found at britishmuseum.org Preface v Contents JD Hill Part One – Holding and Displaying Human Remains Introduction 1 Simon Mays 1. Curating Human Remains in Museum Collections: 3 Broader Considerations and a British Museum Perspective Daniel Antoine 2. Looking Death in the Face: 10 Different Attitudes towards Bog Bodies and their Display with a Focus on Lindow Man Jody Joy 3. The Scientific Analysis of Human Remains from 20 the British Museum Collection: Research Potential and Examples from the Nile Valley Daniel Antoine and Janet Ambers Part Two – Caring For, Conserving and Storing Human Remains Introduction 31 Gaye Sculthorpe 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Making a Feast for the Deceased
    Making a feast for the deceased Archaeobotanical investigation of plant remains in ovens used for drying cereals and food consumption through ovens, graves, and bog bodies Daniel Smeds Master thesis, 30 ETCS Environmental Archaeology Masters programme, 120 ECTS Spring Semester 2019 Foreword First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards those who helped me in this endeavour. As I was able to conduct an internship at Moesgaard Museum at the department of conservation and natural science I owe a strong gratitude to all the personnel and staff, especially Peter Mose Jensen, who worked as my supervisor and board game friend as well as Peter Hambro Mikkelsen who allowed me to perform my internship there, as well as offerings his excellent noodle dinner. Tobias Danborg Torfing at Sydvestjysk Museer for allowing me to use his material for my thesis also deserves thanks. I also owe a big thanks to all the teachers I had throughout my university life, including Dr. Holmblad and Dr. Rundkvist. Dr. Buckland who has worked as my supervisor now for two theses. He has been a great support to have in my many times of need as well as filled with fun anecdotal information about archaeology and beetles. I also owe gratitude to Dr. Ivanka Hristova, who worked as co-supervisor and guided me through many hours of environmental archaeology sessions in the lab. Dr. Linderholm, who has been motivating all of us master’s students and constantly pushing us using his fermented herring and carrot method, deserves a sincere thanks. A special thanks to those two students who have been through all five years of university with me, I would like to thank, Ida Lundberg, who has also helped with a lot of knowledge about plants and wildlife and Love Eriksson.
    [Show full text]
  • Bog Bodies: Archaeological Narratives and Modern Identity
    Bog Bodies: Archaeological Narratives and Modern Identity. By Lydia Stewart A THESIS SUBMITTED TO VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON AUGUST 2020 1 ABSTRACT Bog Bodies: Archaeological Narratives and Modern Identity. By Lydia Stewart Lindow Man, the British Bog Body discovered in 1984, and the Danish examples Tollund and Grauballe Men, discovered in 1950 and 1952, represent quite literally the violent face of a confrontational past. But what exactly do the archaeological narratives say? When presented with the forensic evidence can we explicitly conclude they were murdered as human sacrifices to appease the Germanic and Celtic gods and goddesses during times of affliction? Or are they simply an example of our own imposition of modern assumptions onto the past in a flare of sensationalism and mystical dramatization of the tumultuous affairs of noble savages? How have these narratives played out in the public sphere, particularly museum and heritage, and in modern culture such as the Irish poet Seamus Heaney’s bog poems. Do they reinforce harmful myths of an excessively violent past dominated by innately uncivilized natives? Who does the past really belong to and who has the authority to voice it? Many facets of bog body scholarship remain hotly contested including the human sacrifice interpretation, the usage of Tacitus as the only remaining historical source and Heaney’s use of the bog victims as a metaphorical analogy for the Northern Ireland sectarian violence. My contribution is precisely to present these interpretational narratives from a critical perspective and question scholarly assumptions of ritualism.
    [Show full text]